Collection: Athens, Fethiye Djami
Summary: Lid: Birth of ErichthoniosBody: Punishment of the Kekropids
Ware: Attic Red Figure
Painter: Near the Meidias Painter
Context: Athens (from the pyre of a grave near the Acharnian Gate).<lb>Lid restored from
Date: ca. 420 BC - ca. 410 BC
Shape: Pyxis with lid
Period: High Classical

Decoration Description:

Lid: Birth of Erichthonios, attended by Soteria.

Body: Athena punishing the daughters of Kekrops. The three girls run to the left, rushing as the snake rears up from the chest they had opened, in disobedience of the goddess; Athena also rushes 3/4-view to the left behind Aglauros, right leg advanced, wearing an aegis over a chiton (?), with a himation flying behind her, and an Attic helmet, holds an olive branch in her outstretched right hand, and a spear in her bent left arm; Basileia runs 3/4-view to the right, head turned profile to the left, wearing a belted, sleeveless chiton, and a himation draped around her left shoulder, and flying behind her, and a kekryphylon, reaches both hands (fingers spread) to the right; nude, youthful Pylios, standing 3/4-view to the left, with his weight on his right leg, wearing a chlamys over his left shoulder, and calf-length, strap boots, holds two spears diagonally, in his lowered left hand, and rests his right hand on his hip; Chryseis, running 3/4-view to the left, with her head turned profile to the right, and weight on her forward, bent, right leg, wearing a belted peplos, kekryphylon (?), and stephane (?), holds an unidentified object in her upraised right hand, and reaches her left arm seemingly to the right; Eunoe, standing 3/4-view to the left, wearing a belted chiton with shoulder straps, and a high pony tail, raises both arms to the sides; Philonoe (?), seated profile to the left, wearing a himation over a chiton (?), and a sphendone.

Graffiti: Shapiro (37) suggests that Pylios' name has a "princely" connection with the Neleid dynasty of Pylos); his relation to Basileia may then be explained by the sanctuary that Basile shared in Athens with Neleus and Kodros.

Sources Used: LIMC, 7.800 s.v. Soteria add. no. 2 (J.-C. Balty), 409 s.v. Phylonoe 4 no. 1 (L. Kahil), 604 s.v. Pylios 1 no. 1, pl. 488 (M. Zaphiropoulou-Mitropoulou); Shapiro 1993, 37-38, 231 no. 4, fig. 4; LIMC, 4.62 s.v. Eunoe no. 1 (M. Zaphiropoulou-Mitropoulou), 930 s.v. Erechtheus no. 9a, 933 no. 30a (U. Kron); Burn 1987, 21-22; R. Parker, "Myths of Early Athens," J. Bremmer ed., Interpretations of Greek Mythology (London 1987) 196 n. 40; Shapiro 1986a, 134-35; O. Alexandri in ArchDelt 31 (1976) B' 1, 30, pl. 35a.